Antigone, the Bird

In the speech where the sentry describes Antigone, he describes her making, metaphorical comparisons to a bird. In the passage, the sentry compares her to, "...A bird come back to an empty nest." This metaphor describes Antigone's persona as the bird represents her as a maternal figure, attempting to care for her brother. Antigone’s love for family establishes the theme of family having the utmost importance over all other matters. Antigone proves this theme in the act of burying her dead traitor brother. Although she knew of the punishment she would face for her deeds, she still valued their relationship as family to the extent of risking her life to bury him. This theme resurfaces frequently among the text and through the description of the sentry, the theme of the text is set.

                                                                   -Nick Porter